Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Back to Black

Many of you said you didn't like the black background, and I agreed with you, mostly. But the blog started black and when I started messing around with the template, everything else just seemed all wrong. So now we are back to black, if not permanently, for now.

More on fasting: I decided to fast for a week in order to shrink my stomach and start the weight loss process. Boy howdy, was that a good time. I made it six days. And you know what? My jeans were every bit as unwelcoming as they were the day I started.

So now I am eating again... but not much. Because I bought a scale. And if you know anything about me and my issues with numbers, you know I will be in constant competition with that scale to force it to give me a lower number. Because the current number?? Inexcusable. Totally and in every way unacceptable.

People, I used to be hot. Granted, I was 23 when the hotness was occurring, but I don't think it is too much to ask, at 40, to be recognizable as the same person who was hot as 23. The great fun of this, of course, is that when I was 23, I thought I was ugly.

Young folks everywhere: no matter what nature gave you, you look great. Enjoy the hell out of it.

Anyone out there think I can lose 20 pounds in 40 days? Because right now, my obsession with numbers says that is the goal. Oh and advice on how to do it is always welcome. And yes, I know the basic truth about weight loss: eat less; weigh less.

The only diet that I can (a) follow, and (b) lose weight on is WeightWatchers. Yep, I'm counting them points. And I've lost over 10#. They were the right 10# because I can suddenly wear clothes I haven't worn since I went on the Baskin Robbins diet a number of years ago. I cannot tolerate a world without sweet things and ice cream and sundaes and the like. My freezer is stuffed with WW desserts that are only 3 points. I can hog out and still stay within my quota.

Hi Nina, I went on the South Beach diet and lost about 20 pounds in 3 weeks, lost another 10 in another 3. I have kept most of it off for 3 years, give or take 10 pounds. I am thinking of going on it again. I'll race you to see who can loose 10 pounds faster.xoxoP.S. I thought I was ugly when I was 20 too, and I was awesome! What gives with that?

Who are these people?

Bibi - God bless the guy who gets Bee. I can't even think of anything obnoxious to say about her. She can eat pasta without gaining weight, she can run the ridges at Gertrude's Nose with no fear, and she is by miles the best climber of all of us. She's going to Kili with us. Hell, she'll be leading.

Jib computer wizard, entrepreneur, stand-up comedian, stand-up guy I can count on to catch a movie and hold hands in the dark without it having any meaning whatosever. Every woman needs a man like Jib.

Merry - Australian BFF spends the summers on a yacht, nannying for a celebrity couple with two children. She lives in a brownstone and she has a chauffeur. And we have no idea who she works for.

Newsy has been my friend for about 22,000 hours. Or more. I don't have a calculator. She has about 3423% more professional and personal commitments than I do, and yet she still finds time to think about me. I find this astonishing. If you knew her, you'd be astonished, too.

Pax - climber, hiker, corporate warrior, used to date Joe. Sticks by Larry in spite of his horribleness. None of us understands this.

Skatey- he rides a skateboard. He can dance. He can throw a frisbee and he's not bad at karaoke, either.

Sri - Bengali princess who, aside from kicking my ass at climbing, and aside from being a smokin' hiker, brought down the evil empire of Larry and also once told me that "even girls' are turned on my breasts." Also never turns down "one more round."

Supajewie - Long distance drinking buddy, just about the only person I know who "gets it". And no, she's not Jewish. It's a long story.

Tex - is what happens when you take a normal man, add alcohol, subtract common sense and tact, and then buy him another drink.

Things I have done

Sky diving (5 times)

Class 5 white water rafting many times

Ice climbing at Mt. Washington (repeatedly)

Skiied at Mt. St. Anne (Quebec)

Hiked the Ruby Mountains (when I was 6)

Hiked Thorsmork in Iceland

Rock climbed in the Adirondaks

Rock climbed in the Gunks

Gertrude's Nose (repeatedly)

Breakneck Ridge (repeatedly)

Hiked the Sahara Desert

Hiked the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu

Things I want to do

Whatever Mischa wants to do in Guatemala (Summer, 2008)

Hike El Carbon Mountains (Honduras)

Hike Choquequirao (Peru)

Summit Snowmass Mountain (Colorado)

Nose Route, El Capitan (who am I kidding?)

Summit Mt. Ranier

Summit Mt. Washington, winter ascent (January, 2008)

Summit Kilimanjaro (August, 2008)

GR20 (2009)

Whatever Mischa wants to do in Guatemala (Summer, 2008)

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English Teacher Disclaimer

I teach English, and I sometimes get a emotional about grammar, punctuation, and usage. I sometimes write posts about other people's grammar - or mine. This does not mean, however, that my blog is without errors. I constantly go back and edit for typos and sometimes even... misspelled words *clutching skull and gagging*. If you find a mistake feel free to call me out on it. I will persist in making mistakes whether I attempt to catch them or not, and I will continue to be my bitchy English teacher self despite my capacity to screw up just as often as the next person... and maybe more.